Welcome to Wonderland
by lunaroux
Summary: Sophia isn't dead, she was found by a kind madman and a woman who didn't remember anything from Before. Eventually Sophia and Curious find the group - who accept her just because they can see how she was made for this world. She remembers more and more from Before eventually and she feels as if she's become the madman. Will Daryl stop her falling down the rabbit hole? Daryl/OC


Daryl was adamant that he was going to find Sophia. He just couldn't believe the nerve of some people.

Sophia's own _mother_.

He knew what it was like, to be lost in a forest as a child; it was terrifying. And that was _before_ the dead started walking. He knew she was alive, he knew it with such conviction that he didn't even consider the alternative. He was going to be the one that found her.

He walked through the forest on high alert. Not only to notice any signs of Sophia but there had been more Walkers in the woods surrounding the farm than when they'd first arrived, but he didn't feel the need to tell anyone other than Rick. It's not as if anyone other than him wondered through these woods anyway.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a Walker. He assumed it was once a woman but as he slammed the knife into the top of her skull he didn't want to think about it. The spared a moment to look down at the truly dead Walker before he continued with his search.

"Sh," she hushed the young girl beside her as they ducked behind a large rock, watching the rugged hunter cram his knife into the Walkers skull. She saw look of sadness in his eyes, which passed after a moment, before he carried on.

"He was in the group. He knows my Mama," Sophia whispered beside her and she felt torn. Did she really want to just hand the small girl over to the rugged hunter?

"Of course not," she whispered to herself before biting her tongue. Now was not the time to start talking to herself again.

She knew she had to bring Sophia back to that group but the selfish part of her screamed in protest. She loved that child more than anything. She had watched Sophia grow from a girl who was afraid of her shadow to a strong girl in the space of a month. She knew Sophia was capable of so much more, and she was scared if she brought her back to that group that they wouldn't let her stay, and Sophia would die.

Despite that fear, she knew what she had to do. Sophia needed people, if it remained just the two of them, if something happened to her, Sophia would be alone.

"Stay here," she whispered to Sophia's, shifting into a crouch as she did so. "I'm just going to go and disarm him okay? I know you said he was with your group but remember James?" She hated to bring him up, to trigger the memories of him with the shotgun. Placing it on the back of little Jack's head...

She snapped herself out of her thoughts and leaped forwards. Thanking the lord for the element of surprise.

She remained tense as she flung herself onto him, her small frame not mattering as she let her elbow snap on the side of his head. The connection sent a sharp pain radiating from her elbow to fingers.

"Get offa me," he snarled, his spare hand grabbing onto her forearm and flinging her off him with more force than he meant too, and her head made a sickening crunch as it connected to the floor.

The last thing she heard as she sunk into unconsciousness was the hunter muttering 'oh shit' and Sophia screaming her name.

The first thing she noticed when consciousness came back to her was that she was in a bed. Not a half-hearted pile of sleeping bags piled on top of one and other, but an actual bed.

 _With blankets and pillows and everything_. She kept her eyes shut and gently stroked the fluffy blanket, enjoying how soft it felt underneath her fingers.

Once she opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the Hunter from earlier. He was standing in the doorframe with his crossbow in his arms. She glanced up at the woman who was softly cleaning her face with a brown rag that had probably started out as white.

"Where's Sophia?" She moaned, letting her eyes close again.

"She's safe, with her Mom. Won't talk until she sees you though," the woman said kindly.

She opened her eyes again and stared at the woman with short brown hair and grabbed her wrist, and she assumed form the way she raised her eyebrows that wasn't what she was expected, that or it was the intensity plastered all over her face.

"Do you know who I am?" She sked, tightening her grip on her wrist as she leant forwards, her face warping into a scowl.

"No," the woman answered hesitantly and as soon as she did so she pulled her hand back.

"Me neither. I'm Curious, who're you?" She broke into a wide unsettling grin.

"I'm going to get Rick," he Hunter said and then silence ensued.

Daryl returned to his place at the door as Rick came in with Hershel in tow. He quickly settled his eyes on Curious, content to know that he'd be able to tell if she was lying. But it was something – something in how relaxed she was or the fresh look in her eyes which he hadn't seen since the world went to shit that made him thing that she was indeed being truthful.

"Hey there, my names Rick and you are?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips, a small smile on his face as he looked down at her, Hershel laying the doctors equipment out beside her.

"My names Curious," she smiled innocently. A large grin on her face as she looked down at Hershel who was sitting on one of the old wooden chairs beside her bed.

"Who're you?" she asked bluntly looking at him, curiosity plastered all over her face as she stared at his tools.

"My names Hershel and this is my farm here," he said. Daryl was sure that he wanted to be stern but her innocence and peacefulness she excluded had thrown them all.

"It's a nice farm. And this is a house isn't it. I've never stayed inside a house before. That I can remember anyway," she smiled brightly as if the truth of what she said didn't bother her at all.

"What do you remember?" Rick asked her, his tone softer now as all three of them began to think that she wasn't lying.

"Well I get a bit jumbled," she began. "It's mainly small stuff I remember from The Before like ice-cream, especially chocolate which as to be an old memory, as well as uhm, I think they're called concerts. As well as fields," her face brightened as she continued and Daryl was sure that if she didn't stop soon she'd be bouncing up and down on the bed from excitement. "But then sometimes I get confused because you," she stopped for a few seconds and looked at Daryl. "I get confused and think I knew you before but like I _didn't_ and it is just."

The smile slid into a frown. Her eyebrows knitting together as she began to tap on the side of her head rapidly as her head twitched, her hair was flying over her shoulder. "No wait, that's new. Isn't it? New not old," she began to mutter to herself, her frown becoming more prominent as she carried on muttering under her breath quiet enough that Daryl couldn't hear her.

"Sorry," she said, the bright smile back onto her face within seconds. "I did say I get a bit jumbled. Old and new blurring together, I forget a lot too," she chuckled and pushed her hair out of her face and faced Hershel again. "You're a doctor aren't you? I think I've been to a doctor before, do you know who I am?" She asked, smiling widely.

"I'm afraid I don't dear," Hershel said pity clouding his face as he looked at her slumped shoulders.

"Oh well," she grinned up at Rick. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. We spoke to Sophia, who is fine and safe outside," he added hurriedly as she began to jump out of bed. "And she said your friendly. But that your group was attacked."

"Yes," Curious nodded. "He was staying with us – a friend. But he went crazy and just shot at us. The sound drew the Walkers, and I'm pretty sure me and Sophia are the only ones to get away," she shrugged her shoulders. "That's just the way of the world."

"Well Curious," Rick said after a pause, unnerved slightly at her unwavering smile. As Hershel nodded, all the while her and Rick had been talking he'd been checking her heartbeat and blood pressure as well as the angry red gash on her head. "You're welcome to stay here for a while, seeing as you helped find Sophia. And if you want you don't have to tell the group of your memory loss. We could give you a different name – like Emma?"

Curious seemed to entertain the notion for a moment before she smiled once again at Rick. "I don't think I could do that. I'd forget my other name and just tell people I'm Curious. I'm sure I'll remember my real name eventually but until then Curious is fine."

"Wha' kind of a name is Curious though?" Daryl snorted, slouching against the door frame.

"What kind of a name is Daryl," she shot back. "Curious is the only name I know. And from what they said to me it's also a pretty accurate description."

Daryl couldn't help but to smile slightly and nod, before following Rick and Hershel out of the room.

"Hey," Curious heard a voice say, accompanied by a small knock at the door as soon as she'd finished eating. "My dad said you can have a shower, and borrow these clothes while we wash them." She smiled, handing Curious a pair of pale blue jeans and a white tank top.

"Thank you. My names Curious," she grinned holding out her hand.

"Beth," she replied, shaking her hand with a small smile.

"What's a shower Beth?" Curious asked as she clambered out of bed, clutching the clothes as she followed her out of the bathroom.

"You don't -" she began but cut herself off. "It's like standing naked in warm rain, with soap and stuff." She tried to explain it as simply as she could and judging by the excited expression on Curious' face she succeeded.

"Is it hard?" Beth asked quietly, but the curiosity was eating away at her thoughts to the extent that she couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth.

"Is what hard?" she asked, thanking Beth for the hair grip as she pulled her hair into a pony tail as steam filled the pale blue bathroom.

"Not remembering things before this?"

"Uhm," Curious muttered, silent for a moment before she spoke. "I don't know. There was a guy in the group I was with before, his name was Cane. And he said what helped him to go to sleep was remembering his family and life before this – he said it helped to keep away the nightmares. But then I don't think my nightmares are as bad as everyone else's because I don't know. This is my life, the dead walking, sleeping in tents, stealing food – it's just my life. And I don't know, I can't think what I'd do if I remembered my family and stuff," she shrugged nonchalantly, before Beth excused herself after giving Curious a tight hug.

Curious stepped into the shower and it was the closest to being relaxed she believed she'd ever been.

The shower opened a new world of possibility before her.

She thought that the muscles in her shoulder and back were supposed to feel like that – she was unaware that they were knotted.

And she had no idea that her hair could be so soft or that apples didn't always smell rotten.

And as she thought about it, as the tears slid down her cheeks – she didn't know anything at all.

Curious emerged from her shower a little while later, paying her thanks to everyone in the house. Stepping out the door behind Rick which a wide grin, she enjoyed the cool breeze which felt as if it was embracing her.

"Thank you so much. Thank you for keeping her safe," Curious heard a woman call out, rushing up the stairs with Sophia in tow.

"Not a problem, she was a delight," Curious replied, disliking the group which was now crowding around her with a look that Curious had come to know as pity. She lifted her head up and saw Daryl at the back of the group. His piercing blue eyes on her, a small smirk playing on his features as he watched her squirm under the praise from Carol and the fact she was surrounded.

A few minutes later, and after the awkward introductions in which she had to explain each time that yes her name really was Curious and no she didn't remember anything before the walking dead she was ready to go. It wasn't that she hated these people – hell they were nice but she missed Jefferson. She missed the quiet, the sounds of the forest were always able to sooth her when she had an episode.

"Ah, and this is my wife Lori and my best friend Shane," Rick smiled at her, and Curious found his smile infectious as he looked at his wife with obvious love. Curious wondered idly if Rick could see the tension between his wife and best friend or if he just chose to ignore it. Curious shrugged and kept quiet – perhaps this is just how best friends and wives acted? Who knew.

An expectant look from Lori pulled Curious from her senses and she wondered if she'd been muttering to herself, she probably had but seeing as muttering to herself was the least of Curious' problems she ignored it and extended a hand to Lori.

"Pleasure to meet you," Curious broke into a wide grin, one she knew usually unsettled people but there was something about Lori and Shane, it was the tension, the _lies_. Curious liked Rick, he accepted her and wasn't as cruel as the leader of the old group and she was fiercely protective.

Lori gingerly accepted Curious hand but pulled it back quickly, as if she was afraid to get infected, which made Curious smile wider. "I hear you kept Sophia safe." Lori said platonically as Rick and Shane argued in hushed tones behind her. Curious wondered if Lori was intentionally trying to mimic her smile or if it was an accident, but either way she decided that it proved the woman in front of her was wrong. Curious liked to believe that you could tell a lot about a person from their smile, even a fake one and Lori was someone she didn't like the look of at all.

"She shouldn't even be here," Shane finally exploded. "She could be dangerous," he yelled, gesturing at Curious. She automatically noted a violent undertone to his actions, as if instead of yelling he'd rather be beating her senseless. Lori obviously noticed this too as she moved to the side, although Curious stayed where she was, sitting Indian style on the ground.

"We know nothing about her Rick. She knows nothing about herself. Okay so she kept Sophia alive for a while but fuck knows what she'll do when we turn our backs." Shane finished angrily and Rick began to murmur quietly, reasoning with him Curious hoped.

She glanced over the fire and saw Glenn smiling apologetically at her, she grinned back and looked up at the two men fighting in hushed tones.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," Curious said softly, but drawing their attention none the less. "I have no reason too. You can believe me or not," she continued, cutting Shane off when he opened his mouth to retaliate. "But I don't care because the decision isn't yours and I have no idea why you don't like me."

"Because you're dangerous and useless," Shane spat out, causing Curious to arch an eyebrow which was the only sign she gave that he was pushing her to the end of her tether. "You can't even remember your name how can you help us, other than being another mouth to feed," he growled, his tone and this body language made Curious snap. She was vaguely aware of the whole group staring at her and Shanes confrontation and this wasn't really how she wanted her first day to go, but she wasn't just a doormat, and Shane was just being a _prick._

"Listen here you little shit," she said, squaring up to him. Curious barely reached his chin but that didn't stop her from glaring up at him. "Right this second I can think of at least four ways to kill you without a weapon, which makes me possibly the most valuable fighter here because you're all bound on the fact the Walkers were humans, or you can't kill the bitten until they die. This is all I know and fuck you because I am good at it so don't you dare talk to me like that," she retaliated. Her hands were curled into fists at her side, her knuckles turning white.

Curious didn't know how long her and Shane glared at each other, she could feel everyones eyes on the pair of them. She could vaguely here Sophia's giggle, with Sophia being quiet used to her outbursts as they were far and few in-between, but she was no longer scared by them.

Out of know where she felt someone's hand wrap softly around her wrist, and much to her surprise as she spun around, prepared to attack she noticed that it was Daryl. She lowered her guard slightly and allowed her to be towed away, his hand still softly holding onto her wrist as he led her to his tent with quiet murmurs to ignore the asshole, formally known as Shane.

She settled herself and gratefully accepted the food which Daryl had brought over for her.

This would be her new life, she'd make them accept her. She let out a big yawn and decided she'd make them accept her tomorrow.

 **Enjoy?**

 **Review?**

 **Have my rambles here xoxoxo**


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